The invention relates to a wrist bandage for immobilizing the wrist.
Depending on their design and on the indications for which they are intended, orthopaedic bandages exert a fixing, guiding, bracing and/or supporting action on the extremities of the human body.
These medical bandages must have a shape which corresponds to the anatomical circumstances in order to be able to act externally on the human body with a form fit and a force fit.
Medical bandages of this kind are produced by cutting out blanks from planar material, for example neoprene, knitted fabrics or woven fabrics. The anatomically appropriate shape is obtained via the shape of the blanks or darts, for example with gussets, and subsequent joining together of the blanks, as is also customary in articles of clothing.
This joining together can be done by sewing, gluing or other conventional methods. The great disadvantage of these bandages is that the exact anatomical fit can be achieved only with difficulty and there are a large number of connection points, for example seams. These connection points change the properties of the material used, and there is the danger of pressure points on the skin.
Dressings or bandages for the wrist are used in the treatment of distortions, contusions or sprains of the ulnar and radial ligaments. However, they can also support the healing process in the case of fissures of the metacarpal bones. Finally, by means of appropriate immobilization of the wrist, irritation of the metacarpal joints can be reduced to such a point that it entirely disappears.
EP 0 775 476 discloses a wrist bandage designed for both hands, using a flexible support material which has been anatomically shaped and on which two pockets are sewn, in each case in the lateral edge area, and these are used for receiving a splint. The bandage is applied and fixed around the wrist with the aid of several straps.
An advantage of the disclosed bandage is that it can be used for both hands. To do this, all that needs to be done is to remove the splint from one pocket and insert it into the other one.
However, a disadvantage of the bandage is that it is divided along the middle at least once, so that the bandage has to be sewn together from several pieces in order to guarantee a good fit on the wrist.
The pockets provided are sewn straight onto the support material, and this causes unattractive and undersired folds when the bandage is being applied.
The object of the invention is to make available a bandage which, by means of an explicit fit, ensures a reliable and stable fixation of the wrist at a very low production outlay and does not have the stated disadvantages of the prior art.
Accordingly, the invention provides a wrist bandage which consists of an anatomically shaped section which receives the wrist and the hand and which is formed from a single piece of flexible and elastic material,
the section narrowing in the proximal direction,
the section having, on the medial edge, a cutout for receiving the thumb, and
with at least two straps secured on the medial edge, which straps can be secured on the dorsal side of the bandage.
A pocket is secured on the palmar side of the bandage, in particular sewn thereon, in such a way that the centre axis of the pocket forms an inwardly directed arch.
The pocket is in this case preferably situated in the edge area of the section, at least in the area of the cutout for receiving the thumb.
In an alternative embodiment, the wrist bandage likewise consists of an anatomically shaped section which receives the wrist and the hand and which is formed from a single piece of flexible and elastic material,
the section narrowing in the proximal direction,
the section having, on the medial edge, a cutout for receiving the thumb, and
with at least two straps secured on the medial edge, which straps can be secured on the dorsal side of the bandage.
In contrast to the first variant, the pocket here is secured on the palmar side of the bandage, in particular sewn thereon, in such a way that the centre axis of the pocket has at least one inwardly directed kink.
Here too, the pocket is situated preferably in the edge area of the section, at least in the area of the cutout for receiving the thumb.
In a preferred embodiment, the centre axis of the pocket has a kink which encloses an angle of 150xc2x0 to 170xc2x0.
The straps are preferably provided with a known VELCRO(copyright) closure (i.e. hook and loop fastener) which is secured on a roughened surface, the roughened surface being secured on the dorsal side of the bandage in such a way that the centre axis of the surface is located in an inwardly directed arch or the centre axis of the surface has at least one inwardly directed kink.
Here too, it has proven particularly advantageous if the centre axis has only one kink which encloses an angle of 150xc2x0 to 170xc2x0.
The roughened surface is advantageously contiguous with the outer edge of the section.
It is moreover advantageous if one strap of the bandage is secured at the distal end of the medial edge, and the strap on the palmar side is provided with a padding.
The bandage consists in particular of a material which is flexible in the medial and lateral direction and substantially inflexible in the proximal and distal direction.
In addition to this, however, neoprene and similar materials have also proven suitable.
A substantially inflexible splint adapted to the anatomy of the inner surface of the hand can be inserted into the pocket of the bandage. The splint can be made of aluminium, for example.
In a further preferred embodiment of the bandage, the pocket secured on the palmar side of the bandage, in particular sewn thereon, has a roughened surface, and the roughened surface secured on the dorsal side of the bandage, in particular sewn thereon, is designed as a pocket. Thus, there are two preferably identical combinations of pocket/roughened surface present on the bandage. In this way, it is possible, with just a single design, to apply the bandage to either wrist, provided the splint has been inserted into the appropriate pocket.
The bandage according to the invention serves as a special post-traumatic and post-operative bandage for injuries in the wrist region.
A special bandage of this kind must have an explicit fit in order to ensure a reliable and stable fixation of the wrist.
In addition, a bandage according to the invention should be simple and inexpensive to produce and, unlike the situation in the prior art, it should not have to be joined together from a large number of cut-to-shape parts in order to achieve the necessary fit.
Surprisingly, it has been found that because the pocket, receiving the splint, and the roughened surface are not sewn straight onto the support material, as was previously the case, an excellent application of the bandage over the wrist is possible without forming folds.
A particularly advantageous embodiment of the bandage according to the invention will be described below with reference to a number of figures, but without thereby unnecessarily limiting the invention.